Replacement
by The Clawed Butterfly
Summary: Is it really possible for their feelings to finally meet in the middle? Post-canon.
1. He Couldn't Be With Her

**REPLACEMENT**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Year Oliver Turns 18**

* * *

 _"He couldn't be with her . . . because whenever he was anywhere near her, Gene would also be there to show her the smiling face she loves so much."_

* * *

The flight back to England had been a long and tiring one. All he wanted to do upon arriving home was collapse on the bed and rest his mind until the next day. However, he knew that he had a pile of papers to look over. Not to mention that the society probably had a few errands for him to run. So, he was left with no other choice but to head straight to his home office after touching down at the airport.

As expected, on his desk were several official letters and documents that required his immediate attention. He meticulously organised all of them according to urgency and asked not to be disturbed until evening. It had been early in the afternoon when he arrived, but it was around four when he requested for a cup of tea to be brought into his office.

Something felt off, he thought. It was like there was something missing but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Perhaps he was just tired and had to take a short break. So, he put down the file he was currently working on and leant back on his chair. A cool breeze blew in from the open window so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air.

The muted sound of footsteps could be heard outside his office. It was probably the housekeeper tidying up some stuff in the lounge. He felt unbearably restless still. With an inaudible sigh, he sat up and sipped from his cooling cup of tea. The action only served to make him even more ill at ease though. Seriously, what was going on? He had lived in that house for years so why was he suddenly uncomfortable?

He massaged his temples with his fingertips and moved to exit his office. However, the moment his hand touched the doorknob, it finally came to him. The reason why he was feeling so fidgety just burst into his mind like sunshine hiding behind the clouds.

The tea, it tasted different.

The footsteps, they sounded different.

The person he would see behind the door, she would be different.

"How stupid..." he mumbled and proceeded to the lounge.

Their middle-aged housekeeper really was tidying things up there. She had been serving the Davis family for as far as he could remember. It was she who performed many of the household duties, including doing the laundry and preparing meals. He had no problems whatsoever with her work, or her personality. Yet, for some reason, he really wanted to see a younger woman tinkering around.

"Oh, would you like me to prepare some more tea for you?"

"No. I will be stepping out shortly but I will be back for dinner."

"I understand. Please take care of yourself."

He noticed Lin was already standing beside him even though he had not called for the man. His assistant probably heard him conversing with the domestic help and wanted to be of service. He wasn't even surprised at the sudden appearance as he had worked with Lin for a long time now.

With a simple parting nod to the housekeeper, they went on their way. He didn't have to worry about informing his parents of his whereabouts as he was sure that the help would take care of that for him.

* * *

At first, Lin thought that his ward wanted to go to the SPR office to take care of an assignment. He had even plotted out a faster route they could take in his mind. But then, Noll seemed to have other things in mind as he had immediately asked to be taken to the cemetery where Eugene was buried.

Lin didn't bother asking if his charge was feeling sentimental as he knew Noll wasn't the type of person to be immersed in such emotions. He simply dismissed the order he was given as part of an investigation, perhaps involving the murder of Gene.

The final resting place of the psychic twin was within a reasonable distance from both the Davis home and the university where Noll was studying. It had been selected by Luella for being easily accessible by all members of their family. Being secure and well-kept was a factor she had considered as well.

The tomb they were visiting was situated in a mausoleum at the far end of the cemetery. This was done to achieve some semblance of privacy. Martin had wanted to avoid journalists and the rest of the media from snooping around his son's grave. Noll was thankful for this fact as he was able to visit the tomb away from the prying eyes of the public.

 **EUGENE DAVIS**

That was all that the gravestone said. There was no date of birth or date of death. Noll wanted it that way for reasons he did not wish to speak of out loud. All he wanted was a marker of where the decomposing body of his twin was lying six feet under the ground. He did not even bother to bring flowers because he saw no point in such an act.

Noll requested Lin to wait for him outside the crypt. He wanted some time alone to think, he had explained. Lin had nothing to say to that so he simply followed the order and stood beyond the iron gate. And so Noll was left alone to stare at the cold tombstone.

It was only fifteen minutes later that Noll emerged from the mausoleum with the same old poker face. Lin did not ask him any questions as he was certain that his ward wouldn't want to answer them. He just followed the younger man back to the car and took him back to the Davis home. The drive back had been a very silent one. Noll was left to drown in his thoughts until he got back to his office.

* * *

" _ **Have you moved on yet, stupid brother?"**_

 _He did not bother checking the mirror in his pocket to see if the familiar smiling face would appear._

" _ **Go towards the light already."**_

' _Or do you want to be with her that badly that you can't?' he asked in his mind._

" _ **If you don't leave..."**_

' _Then I'll never be good enough. I'll always be just an idiot scientist with the same face; someone in the background.'_

* * *

 _ **Note: The idea for this just popped into my head recently. Not sure if I'll make this a multi-chapter story or stick to it being a one shot and compile other one shots under this title. What do you guys suggest?**_


	2. As Frank As She Was

**REPLACEMENT**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Year Oliver Turns 19**

* * *

 _"As frank as she was, there were just some things that she wouldn't dare to ask him about."_

* * *

He made it a point to visit Japan at least once every three months. Though he often made sure that his absence from school coincided with bank holidays and breaks, his professors still expressed concern regarding his attendance. They knew it was highly unlikely for their star student to fall behind the lessons, considering his diligence in studying. However, attendance still made up a good portion of the grade and they didn't want him to slide in the rankings as that would reflect negatively upon them.

So, they thought it would be a good idea to give him a special project to make up for his absences. That would have been fine had he been given enough time to conduct research and put together the papers. The problem was that the project was due the day after his scheduled visit to Japan. His teachers figured that he could just squeeze it in between cases but they had no idea that his schedule was already packed for the next two weeks.

Sliding his fingers through his dark hair, he glanced at the long list of topics he had to create a report about. He was only halfway through so he still hadn't gotten a chance to look at the pile of folders neatly stacked on the upper right corner of his desk. Though it was still the first day of his return to the Asian country, it had already been six hours since he arrived at the office. He had been hoping to finish his homework in one day so he could focus on his work over the next few days. His pace so far has been nothing but disappointing though.

He spared a glance at the phone sitting on his desk to his left. He pressed a button on it as he had done an hour ago.

"Mai. Tea."

He rather liked this device that Madoka had set up in his office. Before, he had to stand up, walk to the door, open the door, and call for tea. Now, all he had to do was press one little button to address the part-time assistant outside. Technology was a truly wonderful thing and he didn't hesitate to use the latest devices for his research. It was just too bad that while it could capture data on the paranormal, it wasn't exactly useful when it came to figuring out human emotions.

It took about five minutes before he heard a knock on his door. Letting out a low grunt, he gave his permission for the person to enter his domain. Ah, there was his steaming cup of Yorkshire tea being carried in a tray by his young female assistant. There appeared to be a plate of granola bars along with his beverage to which he raised an eyebrow.

"Just thought you might be hungry," she explained while serving him the tea.

He warily eyed the bite-sized snacks before turning his eyes to her.

"Wh-what? They're vegetarian!"

The way her eyebrows met and her lips grimaced as she pouted at him...was it wrong for him to be selfishly happy that Gene would never be able to witness such a sight?

"C'mon. See for yourself," she grumbled as she pushed the plate closer towards him.

Instead of eating the food, he gracefully swished his hand at her in dismissal. She gaped at his reaction before stomping out of his office. It was only when she had half-slammed the door behind her that he gingerly picked up a bar and began chewing on it. She had been right; he was a bit hungry. He'd only had a salad and fresh spring rolls for lunch earlier, after all.

* * *

When the clock struck seven, he decided to call it a day. He would just have to do some research back at the hotel rather than burn the midnight oil at SPR. Anyway, he figured he could arrive early the next day to continue on with the project. His eyes were already feeling the strain of reading for several hours straight, and he really needed some dinner in his system.

The moment he silently stepped out of his office, he overheard the female assistants talking loudly amongst themselves. He would have brushed by them and called for Lin until a certain Taniyama mentioned his name.

"Can you believe that narcissistic jerk!? Those were homemade and he didn't even-"

Taka suddenly caught a glimpse of him and nudged Mai to stop talking. When the latter gave her a questioning look, Taka gave her conversation partner a saccharine smile while subtly pointing behind her.

"Mai, make sure to tidy up my office before you go," Naru ordered as he breezed past them to burst into Lin's private office.

A short muted conversation could be heard inside before both men walked into the lounge, grabbed their coats, and headed out.

"We shall be leaving first." They heard Lin say before shutting the door behind him.

Mai swore she had stopped breathing the moment she heard Naru talking behind her. She was going to be so dead. Her boss was sure to give her a hard time during the rest of his visit. He might even deduct from her pay cheque if he felt like it.

A few more minutes of mental face-palming and head-banging ensued before Mai let out a groan and slid from the couch to the floor.

"Do you think he heard?"

"Pretty sure he did."

"Nooooooooooooooo..."

"...Well, nothing you can do about it now."

"I thought we were friends!"

"Hey, no use turning to me for help. Anyway, we better close up shop. I'm starving!"

At that, Taka made her way to the pantry and left Mai to her woes.

* * *

The other girl had lain on the ground for ten more seconds before she sluggishly headed to her boss' office to do as she had been ordered. She saw no point in giving Naru even more reason to throw barbs that she would never be able to reply to. Maybe she could try to get on his good side by doing a great job of tidying up. _As if_.

The brunette continued to mumble to herself about being stuck with a narcissist for a boss until she caught sight of Naru's desk.

There sat a teacup devoid of its contents, and right beside it was a plate that was just as empty.

She would have smiled.

Then she saw the handwritten note for reservations to a fancy restaurant scheduled that evening.

It hadn't been there when she served the tea and snacks earlier...

...Right. Of course.

 _When had she ever been enough, after all?_

* * *

 _ **Note : I've decided to make this a collection of inter-connected one shots which will cycle through the POVs of Naru, Mai, and Gene.**_

 _ **I hope you guys like it!**_

 _ **Please tell me that you like it. *cries***_


	3. More Than Anything Else

**REPLACEMENT**

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Year Oliver Turns 20**

* * *

" _More than anything else, he just wanted them to be happy."_

* * *

Gene didn't want to admit it, but he actually felt quite lonely.

When he wasn't guiding Mai into dreams or communicating with Noll through mirrors, he usually slept. At least he assumed that he had been sleeping. The only sleep that he'd ever known that dead people did was the eternal kind. His 'naps' were more like blacking out until he was roused by who-knows-what to help out with cases in his own way.

He was very much happy that he was able to connect with people even though he was no longer in the physical realm. Still, that didn't change the fact that he could no longer walk along the streets, strike up conversations with strangers, or even indulge in his favourite food. It didn't help that whichever plane he was stuck at was usually dark and silent. It was not the ideal environment for social butterflies like him but he had to make do because he really had no other choice.

At the moment, he was currently staring at the bright light that was unbelievably far from his reach. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move on. It wasn't like he had a grudge on the woman who had run him over. He knew better than to focus on negative emotions and become a ghost. He had been a ghost hunter when he had been alive, after all! Not to mention that his brother would probably insult him until the end of time if he became a spectre.

With so much time in his hands, Gene found himself thinking about his brother a lot. He knew that Noll was still mourning his death and would probably do so for a long time. Gene hated the fact that he was causing his own twin so much pain, though the latter would likely deny it with all of his strength. Noll had never been the kind to openly express his feelings and this often caused a lot of problems among family, friends, and colleagues alike.

Mai coming into the picture was something that Gene would always be thankful for. Not only did she have the same wavelength as he, but she also knew how to push the right buttons when it came to Noll. She was probably the only person in the world with the ability to do so. She could see right through the fake smiles and provoke emotions being kept hidden. One-of-a-kind is the best adjective to describe her, in his opinion.

Gene rather liked Mai. She was kind, compassionate, and cheerful. It would not be a long stretch to say that everybody in JSPR liked her, even Lin. Not in the romantic sense, of course, as that would be plain awkward for the others. It was more admiration for being so strong and independent despite being an orphan. It might also be appreciation for being able to talk back to Noll with ease.

Yep, Gene really did like Mai. However, it wasn't in the same way that Mai liked him. He knew about the conversation between Mai and Noll. He had seen the whole scene by accident in one of Mai's dreams. Plus, Mai had expressed her feelings toward him during one of their talks. It wasn't the first time that a girl had confessed to him but he had to admit that he had been flattered. Despite that, he knew that he would never be able to answer to her feelings.

How sad would it be for a set of twins—one alive, the other dead—to fall in love with the same woman, don't you think? That was a situation that Gene would much rather avoid. Besides, he knew that Mai was suppressing her emotions, especially when it came to Noll. He couldn't blame her after what Noll had said and done as a means to reject her confession. The idiot scientist had even dared to compare himself with his dead twin. What a moron!

Knowing Mai, she was probably convincing herself that Noll was right, that she really was in love with Gene. Noll, on the other hand, was probably convincing himself that he didn't care who Mai chose, that he was better off alone in his cave full of books. If Gene didn't deem it silly, he would have banged his head on the floor by now. Those two were a handful. Perhaps the lack of progress in their relationship was the reason why he wasn't able to move on yet? Hmm, he should give that idea more thought later.

Anyway, he knew the real score, of course. Mai was in love with both, and each in a different way. With Gene, she loved how he was kind and gentle as Noll was not. But that was it. She loved Gene simply for the things he had that she wished to see in Noll. There was nothing wrong with that, but he knew that there will come a time when Noll would be more than able to make up for his flaws. At that point, Gene hoped she would realise that while he might be her first love, he would not be her last.

With Noll, Mai was aflame. She might not have noticed it yet, but she actually felt challenged in trying to melt the cold exterior of the person in front of her. Noll somehow always managed to bring out the passionate side of her. It didn't matter if it was in arguing about the most effective means to resolve a case or if it was in just trying to get a thanks for the cup of the tea she made. She was a roaring fire when it came to Oliver, and that was always when she was at her most beautiful.

Mai deserved Noll; he would push her to become the best of who and what she is. In the same way, Noll deserved Mai; she would teach him that there is more to life than just research. They would make each other happy and Gene would like that very much. Why? _Because more than anything else, he wanted them to be happy._

* * *

 _ **Okay, so I was actually just trying to create an intro for the next chapter but then lightning struck and it became a full-blown chapter.**_

 _ **I'm sorry if it's so lengthy! I really did plan for this chapter to be introspective in Gene's POV but I didn't expect it to become this long. The feels came like a tsunami and drowned me*cries***_

 _ **I hope you haven't left me yet *sobs***_

 ** _Anyway, please do leave a review so I know what you think of this story so far. If you have any theories or ideas, please do share as it would help my muse! I really could use some inspiration to continue this story._**


	4. Though He Won't Openly Admit It

**REPLACEMENT**

 **Chapter 4**

 **The Year Oliver Turns 21**

* * *

 _"Though he won't openly admit it, he sometimes wonders who she sees when she looks at him."_

* * *

"Mai, tea."

Yet another day in the SPR office in Shibuya has found Oliver Davis buried nose-deep in reports and research papers that he had to finish for the Society for Psychic Research back in Britain. Though he had finally acquired his university degree from the Cambridge Trinity College earlier that year, it was not uncommon for him to still receive tasks from his mentors and colleagues who expected a lot from a young prodigy. Plus, that much was required so his father would not complain about his frequent trips to Japan.

Anyone who knew him was aware that he was the type of person who dove right into his work and got things done as soon as possible. However, he was currently running the risk of falling behind schedule with the overwhelming workload he had been given as of late. He found this frustrating as he hated to submit things on the day they were due. What would irritate him further would be if he ended up missing a deadline or two. That was something he had to avoid at all costs, for the sake of his reputation.

He rotated his wrist which was starting to feel numb from all the writing he was doing. (Yes, he still preferred to write things by hand before asking Lin to type his final work into the laptop.)

 _Where was his tea?_

A quick succession of raps on his door signalled the arrival of his tea. This was soon followed by his part-time assistant-slash-investigator entering his office to place the cup on one of the unoccupied spaces on his desk. She made no sound as she did so, not even a hum or a grumble. He found that kind of odd considering that she was not exactly the quietest person in the world.

Glancing at her face, he saw that she looked a bit pale. She paid no heed to what he was doing though and just nodded at him before turning to leave. He was about to ask her if she'd had another one of those dreams when his mobile phone rang. The number on the screen told him that it was from the society. He heard the door click shut behind Mai so he answered the call which was likely about one of his reports.

* * *

Had he not felt the pangs of hunger, Noll would have gone on working through the night. There was no denying that he was a workaholic but that was because he disliked leaving unfinished work for the next day. Still, he knew how to set limits now that he was a tad older. This was especially true when it came to taking care of his health. The rest of his tasks would have to wait until tomorrow as he really had to grab a bite to eat.

As he stepped out of his office, he mentally went through his dining options for the night. He had been left to fend for himself as Lin was currently running errands a city away. They had both agreed that they would see each other back at the apartment complex. The older man had mentioned that he would be back around ten so Noll had no choice but to get dinner on his own.

Though it was already past eight in the evening, Noll noticed that the window blinds were still open. Not to mention that the visitor area was still brightly lit. Did the assistants forget to close the office properly? Then again, he remembered that it had only been Taka who had said her goodbyes for the day as she left hours ago for her evening classes.

There was nobody working at the receptionist desks but there was a red bag sitting innocently on one of the chairs. From the Psychology book peeking out from beneath said bag, Noll knew who the bag belonged to. He immediately walked to the pantry which was separated from the rest of the office by a divider. The owner of the bag was probably still cleaning up in the mini kitchen.

* * *

The sight that met his eyes beyond the divider was not what he expected though. He immediately found himself kneeling beside an unconscious Mai who was slumped on the floor with her back on the refrigerator. He tried to shake her awake but she was absolutely out. So, he put his fingers on her wrist then her neck. She had a pulse, but her skin felt hot and she was breathing laboriously.

From the look of it, the illness was not serious enough to go to the hospital for. She probably just needed to rest and take some medicine. The pantry floor was the least comfortable place to sleep though. So, Noll slowly took her in his arms and carried her princess-style to the couch. He might never be as physically strong as Lin or Bou-san but he was certainly capable of carrying a petite 20-year-old girl for a few metres.

After he laid her down with a throw pillow under her head, he draped his coat over her feverish body and called Matsuzaki-san. She was the one person he could rely on for situations such as this. The miko told him that she was just finishing up a job and would be arriving in the office in an hour or so. He was thankful for that though he did not say it out loud.

Noll was famished at that point but he couldn't very well leave a sick girl all by herself, now could he? He reluctantly called in a delivery order from the Japanese restaurant down the street. Some _nama tofu_ and _kappa maki_ sounded tempting. It wouldn't hurt to have some _inarizushi_ and _kabocha soup_ either. He had never been a big eater but he was hungry, you know.

Now that he had made all of the necessary calls, he sat on the couch across where Mai was resting. He didn't want to go back to his office as he might get tempted to finish his work and lose track of time. Left with no other option, he decided to observe Mai as she slept fitfully.

Briefly, he wondered whether Gene was visiting her dreams right that minute but he immediately shot the thought down. His brother only popped up during investigations, after all. This would often mean that Mai had to be in his vicinity so Gene could connect with her. Was there a certain physical range for this to work? He should look into that further the next time he talked to his twin.

* * *

A pained groan escaped the lips of the sick girl across him. Her eyelashes then started fluttering which indicated that she was waking up. As she was facing him, the first thing she saw was Noll staring at her intently.

"Mn...Naru...?"

Her voice sounded hoarse so he fetched her some water. She was sitting up when he returned from the pantry so he handed her the glass and watched her drink.

"...Are you all right?"

"A dream...?"

"No. You are-"

"I have to water..."

"What?"

"Cactus...Yasu-san gave me...I graduated high school."

"Now is not the time-"

"Naru."

"...What is it?"

"I have to water Naru. He might die!"

The world-renowned Oliver Davis was not sure how he was supposed to take that. She named her cactus after him? Wait-was it normal for people to name plants in the first place? He didn't notice that a small smirk had made its way to his lips. He never knew what to expect from this girl sometimes.

"Rest. Now."

She didn't argue with him and lay back down on the sofa. He adjusted his coat to cover her upper body better. The whole time, he felt her eyes on him, particularly his face. He made eye contact with her as he pulled away to sit on the wooden coffee table.

"Naru."

He wasn't entirely sure if she was talking to him directly or referring to her cactus again, but he grunted at her all the same. Her eyelids had started to droop which was good because he didn't want to spend the next half-hour waiting for her to fall back to sleep.

"Ne...What do I...have to do...so you'd smile...sincerely...at me...again?"

Her eyes were closed by the time she had finished asking her question. Moments later, soft snores could be heard from her.

 _"...Sorry. I can't be his replacement."_

* * *

 _ **Note: I have made some changes to the previous chapters so if you would please check them out too, I would really appreciate it! You will notice that I've added time references to each chapter so you guys would be aware when each chapter is set.**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone who left a review and will be leaving a review! I'm so glad I managed to pull off Gene's POV in the previous chapter. Whew~ I'm always so happy to hear from my readers. :)**_


End file.
